Taxes. It is one of the most obvious responsibilities of life. Since my first job, I knew this to be true. National lawmakers especially should realize this. There is a standard of ethics that we should hold our legislators to. That without a doubt is understood. With so many lives, futures and agendas within their hands, there is an incredible requirement of stature accountability wise.

Aside from this high level, there is a obvious belief that lawmakers are human enough to know certain responsibilities. Topping the list of course is paying taxes. Especially when, say, you are the chairman of the committee that creates the laws involving taxes.

The chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, which is just such that committee, “failed” to file taxes and his punishment? He takes leave. Senator Charlie Rangel allegedly did not pay taxes for his use of rent-controlled apartments in Harlem for political purposes. No full retribution has occurred other than a supposedly forced “leave of absence.”

Don’t get me wrong; Rangel’s replacement, Representative Pete Stark, is really no better. How anti-American can you be when you state a current President is sending soldiers to Iraq, “to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement” or calling a fellow legislator a “fruitcake”? Considering the current economic forecast, we desperately need someone respectful at the helm of this committee. However, I have to say looking through this party for such a person is very hard to find. I love how horrid comments come out of a party that pledges bipartisanship, especially recently, can hold their own party to such low regard.

Returning to Rangel, I believe that the Democrats should ask their Senatorial Leader to resign. How responsible can one be when they themselves forget one of the greatest responsibilities of an American, let alone a legislator. A leave of absence shows the weakness as well as the lacking respectfulness that this party has within itself. I cannot wait for 2010 to show this “Majority” how much a minority of respect they have from this nation.

 
 
Let me begin this article by stating a fact: When a Bipartisan Summit is proposed, the assumption is that both sides will sit down and EQUALLY discuss an issue. Neither side should, let’s say, post a piece of legislation on the internet or, I don’t know, request the other side to send their own proposal. This event should be an open and blank sheet that has no pre-notations or comments.

Despite proposing such an event, President Obama didn’t get the memo on what a “Bipartisan Summit” was and therefore made the exact errors I discussed and more.

Before the “Bipartisan Summit” on Healthcare, suggested by President Obama, Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell was on FoxNews Sunday questioning why the meeting was occurring when so many Americans were against the pending legislation deemed ObamaCare. Despite NPR polls stating over one half of the nation’s citizens were saying no to the President’s proposal, people are still coughing up the 2700 page document as its being continually shoved down their throats.

Believing the conference was to “shelve the bill and start over”, actions such as positing the legislation on the internet, (i.e. placing it in front of a public that already rejected every word of it), McConnell went on to state the realization that the actions the Obama Administration and his legislative following was “arrogance” and I could not agree more. How can an administration that praises itself on being for the people and a creator of change that the people crave be able to say to the same public, “We know more about this so you just sit there and agree”?

Today, with the legislation on the table, cries from the public and the minority are screaming for it to be shredded before it hurts someone. Cutting medicare and charging an already fiscally suffering class of people, Americans are screaming until you really do a real “Bipartisan Summit”…HANDS OFF MY HEALTHCARE!